Mobile communications networks, such as cellular networks, enable users to employ wireless devices for communication. These wireless devices, for example, cell phones and other mobile nodes, connect to the network via an access point such as a base station. Typically, the base station has a limited range within which it will be able to communicate with the mobile node. When a mobile node is physically taken beyond the range of its home base station, the mobile node must find a way to connect to another base station, or “hand-over”, in order to retain communication with the network.
The process of transferring the mobile node's communication from one base station to another involves a process called a “hand-off” or “hand-over.” This hand-off is typically performed by base stations and other wireless access points such as radio network controllers. During a hand-off process, some state information may be required to be transferred across network access points. As the number of mobile nodes on a network grows with the popularity of these devices, it becomes important to provide efficient support for transferring state information.